“Tell Me Who I Am” Documentary Review by Brooke Daugherty
November 14, 2019 8:05 am |
Imagine waking up and not knowing who you are, where you are, or the identities of the faces staring back at you. What if you find out the things you have been told are lies? This is the “stranger than fiction” story of Alex and Marcus Lewis. Alex woke up in the hospital with no memory of how he got there or anything from his life before – except he recognized his identical twin Marcus whose identity is the only he could remember. Marcus takes it upon himself to fill Alex in on the 18 years of his life he’s forgotten. What Alex doesn’t know, Marcus omitted truths and began lying to keep up the narrative until they were 32.
Netflix commissioned the cinematic documentary based on the Lewis’ 2013 book of the same name. Award winning documentary director Ed Perkins took an interesting approach to telling the twins’ story. We see all the parts usually hidden for us – cameras, lights, and even set edges. Perkins felt ultimate transparency by showing rarely seen elements is owed to the audience. He gave Alex and Marcus agency by showing the set for what it was. Perkins also allowed for over a week for interviews with the brothers, opposed to a day or two, allowing interviews to have the intimate feel of conversation with an old friend.
The cinematography was by Erik Alexander Wilson. With Perkins, they put together a look for this film as interesting and heartbreaking as the story. Interviews with the twins’ are interspersed with recreated scenes overlayed with voiceovers from the two men. Some of the vignettes seem superfluous until the childhood trauma is revealed, making it all fall into place.
Alex describes how the revelation of their true childhood pulled the twins apart. They still worked and vacationed together, but Alex felt completely alone without complete trust of Marcus. As identical twins, Alex they could never be whole unless they had complete trust in one another. Now in their 50s, they have rebonded through discussing the situation in both print and now on film.
The story is tragic, yet delicately told, as Perkins worked with trained therapists in order to navigate the uncomfortable truths. The deeper understanding of painful issues he gained is apparent throughout the film. This is a must watch, but probably not a repeat watch. Please know if you are triggered by child abuse of any kind, you have been warned.
PCL Rating: Tupperware
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH 🍅
Share this:
Tags: Brooke Daugherty Pop Culture Leftovers, Tell Me Who I Am, Tell Me Who I Am 2019, Tell Me Who I Am Documentary, Tell Me Who I Am Netflix
Categorised in: Movie Reviews
This post was written by Leftover Brian
Comments are closed here.